and
Mr Percival, a character in his novel
Storm Boy Eudunda is within the traditional lands of the
Ngadjuri people. The first Europeans in the area were those travelling to Adelaide markets from
New South Wales and
Queensland in the 1830s. In 1838, four livestock importers from the eastern colonies, John Hill, William Wood, Charles Willis and John Oakden, embarked on a journey to bring livestock overland from New South Wales to South Australia, following the
Murray River, naming landmarks along the way. Shortly after, pastoralists such as
Frederick Dutton took up sheep grazing runs in the area. Eudunda township was established in 1870 by John Henry Hannan, who owned the land that was surveyed and divided for sale. The first European settlers were primarily
German Lutheran immigrants. In 1874, Friedrich Gotthilf Ernst Appelt opened Appelt's General Store on South Terrace. The building is listed on the
South Australian Heritage Register. The town became the centre of local government in 1878 with the establishment of the
District Council of Neales, which operated until 1932 when it merged with the
District Council of Julia to create the
District Council of Eudunda. It continued until 1997 when it was replaced by the formation of the Regional Council of Goyder. A major business, founded in 1884 by Johannes Wiesner and Gustav Hilbig, was the Eudunda Machine Factory, known for its forges and production of
plough and
scarifier shares. The business changed hands several times, with Carl and Heinrich Lutz taking over in 1895 and gaining recognition for their
strippers, which were widely sold in New South Wales and
Victoria. Theodor and Georg Jansen took over in 1905, expanding the business and diversifying into servicing motor vehicles when they started to became more prevalent. In 1951, Johannes and Leslie Reimann acquired the Jansen Brothers business. it continues as Reimann Manufacturing. The
Eudunda Farmers Co-operative Society, established in 1896, was formed by a group of traders in firewood who faced economic challenges during the 1890s. Frustrated with middlemen refusing to pay in cash, they decided to trade directly on the Adelaide market. This successful venture led to the establishment of the co-operative, which came to own 62 general stores across South Australia. Eudunda Farmers merged with United Supermarkets in the 1990s, and their stores became
Foodland and
IGA supermarkets. During the
First World War, Eudunda, with its strong German culture, experienced a series of events fuelled by
anti-German sentiment. In early 1915, a local Lutheran pastor was arrested for communicating with the
Attorney-General of South Australia,
Hermann Homburg, about naturalisation matters. Although the pastor was released shortly after, another incident took place in February of that year. The
Citizen's Forces conducted raids on the homes and businesses of both German-born and Australian-born Eudunda residents. Travel in and out of the town was restricted by sentries stationed at its entrances. Although the raids yielded no incriminating evidence, they served as a clear message that the authorities were committed to suppressing any disloyal sentiments. In 1920, author and educator
Colin Thiele was born at Mutter Knabe's Nursing Home. His upbringing in nearby
Julia, and his education in Eudunda, served as inspiration for many of his writings. The
Eudunda Courier and Murray Flats Advertiser was first published in Eudunda in 1922. Ownership changed in 1928 and again in 1948. However, in 1978, following the death of V.H. Baehnisch, the newspaper ceased operation. It was later taken over by a local family after negotiations. In 1981, ownership shifted to
Barossa News, and the
Eudunda Courier became a supplement to the
Barossa Herald. Eventually, the title was dropped, and today Eudunda news is covered by
The Leader, based in Angaston. Edwin Davey, a flour miller from
Angaston, built a
chaff mill in 1879, soon after the arrival of the
railway. Its last owner was
Laucke Flour Mills, from 1951 to 1990. == Climate ==